MLB Weekend: Mets Flex Muscle in Washington

While the New York Mets didn't come away with a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals on Sunday, although they did come close, leading 2-1 in the eighth inning before Pete Alonso's two throwing errors cost them, there was a lot to like from the Amazin's.

The Mets won the first three games of the series, displaying a toughness and grittiness that is emblematic of their manager, Buck Showalter. Case in point, on Friday the Mets took umbrage with the Nationals throwing at its own players. When Francisco Lindor took a pitch off his face while squaring to bunt, it led to a near benches clearing brawl led by Showalter who sprung out of the dugout.

The Mets were also clutch in the hitting department over the weekend. As a team, New York hit .293  with a .363 on base percentage. Matt Canha had a huge weekend, batting .700 (7-hits in 10-At bats) with a pair of critical RBIs. Starling Marte also had a four RBIs over the weekend. Meanwhile Pete Alonso cracked a grand slam homer in Saturday's 5-0 victory.

On the hill, the Mets got superior pitching performances from its starters. While Max Scherzer was adequate in his Mets debut, surrendering three runs over six innings of work, Taylor Megill, Chris Bassit and Carlos Carrasco were brilliant. The three combined to hold Washington to just a single earned run over 16.2 innings of work.

At 3-1, the Mets meet the Philadelphia Phillies (2-1) beginning Monday night. It will be a huge test for New York. Philadelphia cracked five home runs against the Oakland A's over the weekend, and they feature one of the most potent lineups in baseball with MVP Bryce Harper surrounded by power hitters like Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto.